Christmas… a time for giving and being with family.
That is… unless you celebrate Hearth's Warming instead.
Toxic walked through the white snow with black snow boots on her hooves, her saddle bag around her back, a black and white stripped scarf around her neck, and a white knit snow cap on her head covering her ears. And of course she wasn't traveling alone.
"Toxic! Are we there yet? My hooves are killing me!"
Toxic sighed and looked back at the orange little Pegasus with a magenta mane and tail following her.
"Almost Scootaloo, just be patient. I told you that you could just ride on my back."
The little Pegasus following her was wearing a cyan scarf and hat that had Rainbow dash's cutie mark on them. Both were an early gift from Rainbow dash to keep her warm during the winter.
"Nah, I can make it! I'm tough like Rainbow dash!"
Toxic just softly giggled and lifted the filly with her red aura magic up and onto her back.
"Hey! I said I can make it!"
"Well I don't really feel like hearing you complain another minute, so just sit tight."
They made it the Carousel Boutique and Toxic knocked on the front door, which Rarity answered.
"Oh, Toxic and Scootaloo, wonderful to see you dears. Is there something you need?"
Toxic just shook her head and smiled, "Oh no Rarity. Nothing important such as that. I just came to pick up Sweetie Belle. She and the other Crusaders asked me to tell them some holiday stories from my world."
Rarity looked slightly puzzled.
"She did? Well this is the first I'm hearing about this. Sweetie Belle!"
A bunch of hoof clops against the floor told that Sweetie Belle was running to the door, and this was proven when the unicorn filly sprung from around a corner and straight for the door.
"Toxic! Scootaloo! You're here!" she said excited.
"Yes, and Toxic tells me something about her picking you up for stories?" Rarity says.
Sweetie thinks, then face hooved, "Oh! I forgot! Rarity, Toxic is coming to pick me and the other girls up because we asked her to tell us these things called 'Christmas stories' from her world."
Rarity sighs and shakes her head, "You should have told me before she came to get you."
"Oh please Rarity! Please! I'll be good! Promise!"
Rarity held her hoof to her chin in thought.
"Well…"
"Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaa-"
"Alright! Alright you can go with Toxic to hear stories."
The filly smiled and hopped up and down while cheering.
"Yaaaaaaaaay!"
"Ok Sweetie, go put something on. Its cold out and I don't want you to get sick," Rarity told her sister.
Sweetie Belle nodded and galloped back to where ever she last had her winter-wear, leaving the filly and two mares alone for a short minute.
"So Toxic, what are Christmas stories?" Rarity asked.
"Well, back in my home world, there is this largely celebrated religious holiday called Christmas. Over the years people of my world have written and told several classic and silly stories about the holiday and its true meaning or icons. In fact, Hearth's Warming actually resembles Christmas a lot it seems," Toxic explained.
"Really, how so?"
"Yeah, how so?" Scootaloo echoed.
Toxic couldn't help but chuckle, "Well, a tree is brought inside the home and decorated. Back on Earth that's called a Christmas tree. Gifts are exchanged between friends and family. Those were called Christmas presents. But the true meaning is exactly the same."
"It's getting together with your loved ones, giving instead of getting, good will towards all m- well ponies. Celebrating all that you have instead of crying for all you don't have. Tis' the season of giving! That's what it is!"
"Wow, so what are these stories about?" the fashionista unicorn asked.
Toxic was about to answer, but Scootaloo cut her off. "About ghosts and flying reindeer with no wings and a big guy wearing red who flies around the world giving good fillies and colts gifts!"
Rarity cocked an- well where an eye brow would be.
Toxic just laughed nervously, "Yeah, heh, that's mostly about this guy we call Santa Claus."
"He wears red?" she asked.
"Yeah, the season's colors are red and green. And Santa wears red with white. If you wanna know more about Christmas, why not come along with us. I'm going to get Applebloom anyway and Applejack asked to tag along with us to the library and I'm telling everypony the stories there any now."
Rarity thinks it over and smiles, "Oh why not! It sounds lovely to learn a little more about your traditions. And especially if I can get a design for this 'all red' outfit this Santa wears."
A moment later Rarity came back wearing a blue scarf embedded with cyan gems, white fuzzy ear muffs, and blue snow boots with white fur trim. And Sweetie Belle had on a light pink scarf with white hearts, light purple and white ear muffs, and a pink fuzzy vest around her midsection.
Soon the group of four is back to walking along to Sweet Apple Acres, the two fillies riding on Toxic's back.
"Are you sure we aren't too heavy Toxic?" Sweetie asked.
"Oh not at all! We're already here anyway."
The group walked through the soft white snow to the Apple family home, past the several trees that were covered in the white blanket.
"Toxic! Over here!"
Applebloom and Applejack were already standing out in front of their house wearing their crude knit winter scarves and hats and Applejack's worn old brown winter boots.
"Howdy partners!" Applejack greeted "Ah' see yuh' decided tuh join our story session, Rarity."
Rarity did a fake scoff, "Well, Toxic's tales of a colt in red certainly peaked my interest."
"You too? Shoot, I'm interested in findin' out how these reindeer fly with no wings! Never heard bout' that in mah' whole life!"
"Hey Scoots! Hey Sweetie!" Applebloom greeted her friends on Toxic's back.
"Hi Applebloom!" the two said in unison.
"All set Applebloom?" Toxic asked.
The filly nodded rapidly with a smile, "You betch-yuh'!"
"Alrighty then, you wanna hop on my back too?"
"Eh I don' know. You sure you can carry all three uh' us?"
Toxic laughed, "Oh, ho, ho, of course! I'm not an alicorn for nothing you know!"
Together the six made it to Golden Oaks Library through the snow and all three fillies riding on Toxic's back.
Applejack knocked on the door and Spike was the one to answer.
"Hi girls! The others are already here."
Inside was all four remaining members of the elements of harmony all snuggled up in the library awaiting the stories Toxic would tell them with fresh mugs of hot cocoa.
"Hi Toxic!" Pinkie yelled.
Toxic smiled as she helped all three fillies off her back and down to the floor.
"Hi Pinkie, hi girls and Spike. Happy Hearth's Warming."
She and the other new arrivals all began the task of removing the layers of winter apparel. Once that was finished and the boots were put away and the hats and scarfs hung up, Spike helped the others to a mug of hot chocolate and they all settle din in a big pile of blankets.
"Now before I tell you all these stories, first I have a little early gift."
Her horn glowed red and her saddle bag opened, and her red aura levitated out a large book with a pressed red cover and engraved gold writing.
"Twilight, I figured you would love to add these stories to the library. So I wrote down the classics and a few of my personal favorites and put them all together in this book."
Toxic handed off the book from her magic to Twilight's, who in turn stared at the golden words on the cover which read 'Classic Human Christmas Stories'. The purple alicorn starred at the book slack jawed.
"T-Toxic tha-"
"Up-bup-bup! No 'thank you's or comments, these are my gift to the library from my world to this one."
Twilight set the book in front of her and ran a hoof over the cover.
"Toxic… I don't know what to s- did you say 'these'?"
Toxic smiled as six more books with different colored covers all floated out of Toxic's saddle bag and landed in two stacked piles in front of Twilight.
"I also decided to write down all that I could about humanity, as well as some popular media."
Twilight read the titles of the other books. There was 'U.S. History', 'Human Anatomy', 'Mankind's Greatest Achievements', 'Technological Advances of the Human Race', 'The Life of a Human', and 'Human Health and Care'.
Twilight's jaw hit the floor at the books. "Ah… ah- ah…"
"Nothing special, just thought the library would love these additions," Toxic took a glance at the anatomy book "but I recommend keeping the book on human anatomy where a child cannot get to it. I was able to get a few diagrams into the book and I don't think a filly or colt should see or read about those."
Toxic Levitated the Christmas story book back over to her side and flipped it open to a perfect classic.
"This story is an absolute classic. It's one of the oldest stories I know. It's called 'Twas the Night before Christmas."
Toxic coughed and cleared her throat.
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.
And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap.
When out on the roof there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
tore open the shutter, and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
gave the lustre of midday to objects below,
when, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles, his coursers they came,
and he whistled and shouted and called them by name:
"Now Dasher! Now Dancer!
Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid!
On, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch!
To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away!
Dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky
so up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
with the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
the prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head and was turning around,
down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes-how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
and the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,
Toxic stopped when a sound came from outside the window.
'Ho! Ho! Ho!'
"Hun, what's that?" Rainbow asked.
"I don't know," Toxic said a she got up and walked away from the book to the window.
Then she gasped and yelled, "Girls come look at this! You're not gonna believe this!"
Then all six mares, three fillies, and baby dragon all scrambled to the windows in a hurry. Twilight, Toxic, Spike, Rainbow, Scootaloo, and Pinkie were at one window and Applejack, Rarity, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Fluttershy were at another.
And Toxic was right… they couldn't believe it.
A silhouette in front of the moon of a sleigh and eight reindeer and a giant sack with a human man driving, all flying through the sky.
And the silhouette called out, "Ho! Ho! Ho! Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"
The fillies, Spike, and Pinkie all got giddy at the display.
"Wow! Do you see it?!"
"It's Santa Claus!"
"Just like Toxic said!"
"Wow-wee! He really does have flying reindeer!"
"Super duper amazingly spectacular!"
The others all watched the figure disappear into the night, with 'aw' and amazement at the new holiday magic.
Toxic just nodded and smiled, "He found his way to Equestria easily enough. That jolly old man really can do anything!"
Toxic waved goodbye to the magical human icon she had come to know like all other children.
"See you next year!"
The little ones (and Pinkie) all waved goodbye to Santa with Toxic as the mares finally got over their surprise.
"I'm home!" Toxic called out as she walked in her door.
"Oh thank Celestia you're back!" said the Santa Claus as he descended the stairs dramatically "I can't stay in this form a second longer!"
Toxic just chuckled, "Well complain all you want Dissy Dearest, I think you make a perfect Santa Claus."
Santa, or Discord, grumbled. "I'm changing back now."
Then with a white flash Santa was gone and Discord was standing tall in his place.
"Awww, but you looked so cute as Santa!" she laughed.
Discord just pouted and turned away.
"Well, that little stunt went perfectly. The kids got so giddy at seeing Santa Claus, and Pinkie too actually. But what you did was real sweet."
"And humiliating," he grumbled.
He was going to go back upstairs, but he felt Toxic rub at his tail softly and looked back.
Toxic was standing there, now wearing a red bow on her horn and red stockings on all four hooves with white fur trim and her eyes narrowed at him while smiling.
"Would you feel better if I let you open your present a little early?"
He grinned and scooped her up in his arms and darted up stairs to bed.
Meanwhile, the big jolly man himself saw the whole thing from out-front in his parked sleigh.
"Seems Vanessa, or Toxic should I say, decided to be naughty and nice. Ho! Ho! Ho! I crack myself up! Ho! Ho! Ho!"
And so Santa mushed the reins and the reindeer took their cue and flew to the sky yet again. Before things got a little too PG-13 for a Christmas story.